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I feel like this man is as close to being a monk for computer science as one could ever be. I envy his daily routines and discipline that keeps him going well b

by j7ake 4y ago

I feel like this man is as close to being a monk for computer science as one could ever be. I envy his daily routines and discipline that keeps him going well beyond typical retirement age. I can only hope to have a sliver of his discipline to lead my daily life.

skissane 4y ago
> I feel like this man is as close to being a monk for computer science as one could ever be. He has a wife, two grown kids, and some grandkids too. He’s a believing, practising Lutheran [0] (some have even said a “devout” one) and published a book on the Bible [1]. He plays piano and organ - he sometimes plays the organ at his church, and he and his wife even have a pipe organ in their house [2], and he has composed an original work for it [3]. Calling him a “monk for computer science” makes him sound very one-dimensional, when he isn’t. [0] https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/12/im-a-lutheran-don-knuth/ https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/12/im-a-lutheran-don-knu... [1] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/316.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/316.html [2] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/organ.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/organ.html [3] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fant.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fant.html
- manquer 4y ago
  Real life monks aren't one dimensional either. Buddhism in its essence is about balance and right path not extreme focus on one thing
  - eru 4y ago
    Real life Christian monks weren't / aren't one dimensional either.
- naniwaduni 4y ago
  Other than the "has a wife and kids" part, that sounds a lot like a monk?
  - astrange 4y ago
    I mean, it sounds more like a church organist than a monk.
    - aliswe 4y ago
      Ah yes, the unmistakable sound of an organist.
- jvanderbot 4y ago
  You're confusing monks with aesthetics.
  - pyuser583 4y ago
    Do you mean ascetics?
    - jvanderbot 4y ago
      Sure did!
  - cshimmin 4y ago
    And you are confusing aesthetics for ascetics :)
    - Supermancho 4y ago
      I would graciously assume an autocorrect failure on a phone, rather than earnest confusion.
    - jvanderbot 4y ago
      Or, my phone is at any rate.
  - skissane 4y ago
    You mean ascetics, not aesthetics. Wikipedia’s article on Christian monasticism [0] starts with (my emphasis): > Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of Christians who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship So, am I really confusing monasticism with asceticism, when the later is a key part of many definitions of the former? Many people confuse monks with members of non-monastic Christian religious orders. Many of the famous Catholic religious orders - such as Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits - are not monks. In the traditional understanding, monks withdraw from the world to focus primarily on prayer and contemplation, and are not actively involved in activities such as preaching, education or missionary work; those religious orders whose members are actively involved in the world in those ways are not classified as “monks”, rather “religious”. Some Jesuits are even university professors in secular subjects - such as the Australian law professor Father Frank Brennan SJ (who was once awarded the accolade “Living National Treasure”) - something fundamentally incompatible with the contemplative life of a genuine monastic. Is that true of non-Christian “monks”, such as Buddhist bhikkhus? I don’t think I understand Buddhism well enough to confidently venture an opinion. But, I do think that using a Christian-origin word to describe a concept in a radically different religious tradition is a questionable decision; using the indigenous term (bhikkhu) is preferable since it avoids that issue entirely. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_monasticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_monasticism
- pyuser583 4y ago
  When I think of Lutherans, “lay-monks” is a phrase that comes to mind.
anewpersonality 4y ago
- boondaburrah 4y ago
  Whether or not there is a god, the phrase "being religious about" something exists for a reason. I imagine a lot of the discipline in practicing religion allows you to make yourself keep going. Heck, it's even called "practicing" religion for a reason.
- Epa095 4y ago
  One can say a lot of stuff, but is there any sign that there are less devoted people in the USA today than before? There definitely seems to be a lot of devoted Christians, which has worked tirelessly to get their opinions into law. Maybe the problem is rather that people are devoted to the wrong stuff?
  - singron 4y ago
    Church membership is down, but there may be other thresholds of devoutness that are up. It may also be that the devout have become more political rather than more numerous or that there is no trend of religion in politics at all. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724230257/https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20220724230257/https://news.gall...
    - pure_simplicity 4y ago
      Actually it is the opposite, the less devout, the more political the christian. Progressive/liberal christians are the most political
- dbt00 4y ago
  I've known many more devout Christians that are not Don Knuth than are.
- paskozdilar 4y ago

by j7ake 4y ago

skissane 4y ago

> I feel like this man is as close to being a monk for computer science as one could ever be. He has a wife, two grown kids, and some grandkids too. He’s a believing, practising Lutheran [0] (some have even said a “devout” one) and published a book on the Bible [1]. He plays piano and organ - he sometimes plays the organ at his church, and he and his wife even have a pipe organ in their house [2], and he has composed an original work for it [3]. Calling him a “monk for computer science” makes him sound very one-dimensional, when he isn’t. [0] https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/12/im-a-lutheran-don-knuth/ https://www.livinglutheran.org/2018/12/im-a-lutheran-don-knu... [1] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/316.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/316.html [2] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/organ.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/organ.html [3] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fant.html https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fant.html

manquer 4y ago
Real life monks aren't one dimensional either. Buddhism in its essence is about balance and right path not extreme focus on one thing
- eru 4y ago
  Real life Christian monks weren't / aren't one dimensional either.
naniwaduni 4y ago
Other than the "has a wife and kids" part, that sounds a lot like a monk?
- astrange 4y ago
  I mean, it sounds more like a church organist than a monk.
  - aliswe 4y ago
    Ah yes, the unmistakable sound of an organist.
jvanderbot 4y ago
You're confusing monks with aesthetics.
- pyuser583 4y ago
  Do you mean ascetics?
  - jvanderbot 4y ago
    Sure did!
- cshimmin 4y ago
  And you are confusing aesthetics for ascetics :)
  - Supermancho 4y ago
    I would graciously assume an autocorrect failure on a phone, rather than earnest confusion.
  - jvanderbot 4y ago
    Or, my phone is at any rate.
- skissane 4y ago
  You mean ascetics, not aesthetics. Wikipedia’s article on Christian monasticism [0] starts with (my emphasis): > Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of Christians who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship So, am I really confusing monasticism with asceticism, when the later is a key part of many definitions of the former? Many people confuse monks with members of non-monastic Christian religious orders. Many of the famous Catholic religious orders - such as Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits - are not monks. In the traditional understanding, monks withdraw from the world to focus primarily on prayer and contemplation, and are not actively involved in activities such as preaching, education or missionary work; those religious orders whose members are actively involved in the world in those ways are not classified as “monks”, rather “religious”. Some Jesuits are even university professors in secular subjects - such as the Australian law professor Father Frank Brennan SJ (who was once awarded the accolade “Living National Treasure”) - something fundamentally incompatible with the contemplative life of a genuine monastic. Is that true of non-Christian “monks”, such as Buddhist bhikkhus? I don’t think I understand Buddhism well enough to confidently venture an opinion. But, I do think that using a Christian-origin word to describe a concept in a radically different religious tradition is a questionable decision; using the indigenous term (bhikkhu) is preferable since it avoids that issue entirely. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_monasticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_monasticism
pyuser583 4y ago
When I think of Lutherans, “lay-monks” is a phrase that comes to mind.

anewpersonality 4y ago

boondaburrah 4y ago
Whether or not there is a god, the phrase "being religious about" something exists for a reason. I imagine a lot of the discipline in practicing religion allows you to make yourself keep going. Heck, it's even called "practicing" religion for a reason.
Epa095 4y ago
One can say a lot of stuff, but is there any sign that there are less devoted people in the USA today than before? There definitely seems to be a lot of devoted Christians, which has worked tirelessly to get their opinions into law. Maybe the problem is rather that people are devoted to the wrong stuff?
- singron 4y ago
  Church membership is down, but there may be other thresholds of devoutness that are up. It may also be that the devout have become more political rather than more numerous or that there is no trend of religion in politics at all. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724230257/https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx https://web.archive.org/web/20220724230257/https://news.gall...
  - pure_simplicity 4y ago
    Actually it is the opposite, the less devout, the more political the christian. Progressive/liberal christians are the most political
dbt00 4y ago
I've known many more devout Christians that are not Don Knuth than are.
paskozdilar 4y ago